1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing deleterious fuel emissions in a engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device adapted to be used with existing internal combustion engines that is readily positioned between the carburetor and an engine. The device is principally suited for a lawn mower engine, however it is anticipated that this device can be applied effectively to any engine that has a carburetor or fuel injector including an automobile engine.
With the increasing cost of fuel and the concerns with the deleterious by products that are emitted by fuel emissions, devices or apparatus and methods have been developed to maximize fuel efficiency in engines, especially automobile and other vehicle engines. In addition, some apparatus consequentially reduced unwanted fuel emissions, such as, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. These apparatus have been directed to optimizing the fuel to air ratio in the engine's or fuel injection system in order to maximize the fuel distribution and thereby increase fuel efficiency. One of the more common apparatus, and methods, has included controlling the mixture or ratio of fuel to air received in the engine. Other apparatus have been directed to modifications to the engine's carburetor to spread the air uniformly within the fuel.
Still other apparatus have included controlling and monitoring the fuel supplied to the engine to maximize the use of the fuel. Still other apparatus have converted conventional gasoline, methanol and the like into an aeriform gas to the improve the burn of the fuel and then introduce air into the fuel.
These apparatus have all fallen short of achieving the desired optimization of fuel efficiency achieved by the present invention. Also, these apparatus lave failed to achieve the minimization of the deleterious emissions normally caused by conventional burning of fuel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some prior art patents illustrate an apparatus that attempts to control the mixture of fuel and air ill a vehicle's engine in order to provide for efficient fuel consumption. These patents include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 664,457, which issued to J. F. Bennett on Dec. 25, 1900, titled Carburetor that is directed to a carburetor that uses perforated plates to spread air bubbles over a larger surface area of the liquid gas. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,526, which issued to K. R. Asfar on Dec. 28, 1976, titled Vaporizing Carburetor is directed to a carburetor that acts to distribute evenly vaporized fuel in the airstream entering the vehicle's engine. The gasoline vapors are introduced into the atmospheric air directing a stream of air through the liquid fuel or gasoline.
U.S. Pat. No. 793,786, which issued to A. H. Helmle on Jul. 4, 1905, titled Carburetor is directed to an improved air fuel mixture for combustion within a gasoline engine, as is the present invention, however it creates the mixture in a completely different manner. This carburetor requires a compressed oxygen source to supply pressurized oxygen at an unquantified pressure needed in order to urge the gasoline in a liquid state up through screens. The screens act as agitators. There is no second throttle is this carburetor replacement device.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,142,674, which issued to T. C. Crouch on Jun. 8, 1915, titled Fuel Atomizer For Internal Combustion Engine is an atomizer for heavy fuels, such as kerosene. The plurality of sheets are bent outward, except for the central sheet so that the screens are positioned different than those of the present device. Also, this patent fails to provide for the necessity of a second throttle, or the type of screen set forth in the present device. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 1,260,609, which issued to J. W. Warren on Mar. 26, 1918, titled Mixer that uses one screen, again without a disclosure of the mesh count and without the second throttle. Both of these patents utilize a stock carburetor to supply the air and fuel mixture, and these items would fail if the carburetor was maintained at one setting, or partially disabled, as is the case with the present device.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,265,047, which issued to A. J. Canova on May 7, 1918, titled Gaseous Fuel Mixer is positioned above the carburetor which is a different location in the induction system than the present device. Also, the screens in this mixer function like a butterfly valve, and do not affect the constant velocity of the air and fuel flow. Further, this mixer does not provide for a second throttle and, it appear, would fail to perform if the carburetor was maintained at one setting.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,307,393, which issued to C. M. Dyer on Jun. 24, 1919, titled Fuel Vaporizer is directed to a vaporizer that is a casing having a plurality of gauze vaporizing screens fitted in a removable but gas tight manner in the outer jacket. The screens are spaced from one another, and each gauze has about sixteen wires to the inch, but the size can vary to some extent. This vaporizer requires the addition of heat. Also, the screens are positioned different, and the size of the mesh different than that of the present device. Moreover, this vaporizer does not teach the use of a second throttle in conjunction with maintaining a single setting for the carburetor.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,394,820, which issued to J. H. Fritz on Oct. 25, 1921, titled Mixing Device For Explosive Engines provides for mixing of the ingredients of a charge by the use of a screen disposed between two relatively coarse screens superposed one on the other and mounted in an annular recess in the outer side of an annular member that bears against the outer side of the cylinder. This device is not positioned between the outlet of the carburetor and the inlet of the engine manifold as is the present device. In addition, this mixing device does not provide for the multiple functioning screens, or mesh count or second throttle of the present device.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,557, which issued to A. J. Ramey on Feb. 8, 1955, titled Atomized and Mixing Device For Internal-Combustion Engines is directed to a device that specifically is not positioned between the fixed outlet of the carburetor and the inlet of the engine manifold. The mixing device has a screen located at the intake manifold to partially atomize the liquid fuel and a bladed element having plurality of vanes disposed adjacent the inlet screen to impart a swirling motion to mix the fuel and air to more intimately mix the two together. There is also a plurality of screens disposed over openings in the lower wall of the housing to complete atomization. Clearly, the form and function of the screens in this device differ from that of the present device. In addition, this device does not provide for a second throttle or adjusting to a fixed setting the setting of the carburetor. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,949, which issued to J. B. Hicks on Aug. 18, 1959, titled Device For Improving the Operation Of Internal Combustion Engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,128, which issued to H. Goldman on Nov. 30, 1982, titled Carburetor Insert Apparatus is directed to an insert for insertion between the carburetor and the firing chamber of the cylinders in an internal combustion engine. This apparatus or insert comprises a cylindrical cup-like configuration having a plurality of rectangular apertures symmetrically positioned about the major side surfaces and having a pattern of small apertures located in the bottom surface. First and second circular screens members are positioned in the insert to overlie the bottom surface, and a cylindrical screen is positioned in the hollow insert to surround the major side surfaces containing the rectangular apertures. A dispersing fan and auxiliary heat are used. The present device does not use heat and, in fact, avoids heat. Also, the present device does not use a dispersing fan. Further, the arrangement of the screens are different between this apparatus and the present device. Still further, this apparatus also does not use a second throttle or maintain a single setting of the carburetor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,573, which issued to M. J. Jensen on Dec. 4, 1990, titled Intake Manifold Fuel Multi-Layer Atomizing Screen is directed to concentric cylinder form, concentric truncated conical form or spiral wound form screens, with the number of screens in direct portion to the number of barrels of the carburetor. The screens, their function and the failure to use a second throttle, as well as a failure to teach maintaining a single setting of the carburetor, clearly distinguishes this atomizing screen from the present device.
Other patents illustrate mixing the fuel and the air before entering the vehicle engine in order to optimize fuel efficiency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,582, which issued to P. M. Brown on Aug. 22, 1989, titled Carburetor Fuel Preconditioner is directed to a carburetor fuel preconditioner for internal combustion engines. The preconditioner creates desired fuel vapor-air mixture by passing air through a bubble chamber that holds the gas. The chamber has a multiplicity of catalytic beads that are immersed in the gasoline and through which the air is passed. The catalytic beads provide an extensive absorption area for both the gasoline and the air for microscopic mixing of both. The catalytic beads also cause cracking of the gasoline's molecular chains to raise the volatility and octane of the gas for greater combustion efficiency. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 484,721, which issued to J. J. Parris on Oct. 18, 1892, titled Carburetor Apparatus. Also note, U.S. Pat. No. 671,042, which issued to D. Barckdall, et al. on Apr. 2, 1901, titled Carburetor for making gasoline.
Foreign reference No. 3,135,813, made of record in the priority application, is directed to filters for filtering particles and is clearly different than the present device.
Other patents simply provide for agitation of fuel to form a better fuel, such as, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,278,032, which issued to R. F. Smith on Oct. 11, 1966, titled Fuel Pump and Filter Assembly and 4,253,954, which issued to D. G. Midkiff, et al. on Mar. 3, 1981, titled Two-Stage Spin-On Separating Device.
Still other patents monitor the fuel and air delivered to the vehicle's engine in order to maximize fuel efficiency. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,712, which issued to K. A. Jackson, et al. on Jan. 18, 1983, titled Vaporized Gasoline Fuel System and Control Thereof is directed to a vaporous gasoline fuel system that has an electronic monitoring and control system to monitor the combustion of the vaporized fuel and air delivered to the engine in response to a change in the engine's fuel demand. The optimum ratio of fuel to air in the vaporized fuel mixture is thus maintained. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,847, which issued to R. D. Fortino on Mar. 15, 1977, titled Fuel Supply System is directed to a fuel system that supplies gasoline to a vehicle's carburetor. The gasoline mixes with air in a controlled manner in order to provide a fuel charge for combustion within the cylinder of an internal combustion engine.
Yet other patents have attempted to convert fuel to another form before mixing it with air. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,095, which issued to J. J. Gilbert on Feb. 7, 1984, titled Gaseous Mixture From Liquid Fuel and Air is directed to converting liquid fuel, such as gasoline, into a gaseous form. The gaseous fuel is uniformly mixed with a flow of air for efficient burning in a combustion apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,984, which issued to J. J. Gilbert on Jan. 24, 1984, titled Apparatus For Entraining Gasoline In Air For Use In An Internal Combustion Engine is an apparatus that converts volatile combustion liquids, such as gasoline, methanol and the like into aeriform gas. Basically, compressed air is passed through a filter containing a desiccant to remove any moisture and is then introduced into a container that holds the gasoline to diffuse the demoisturized air through the gasoline and thereby expand the volatile liquid gasoline. Evaporated gases rise in the container and are drawn through a solid porous structure of about 120 microns. The evaporated gases broken into finer particles and passed through another porous structure of about 90 microns and then through a chemically treated activated charcoal cartridge. This provides for a minimal amount of expansion of the oxygen with the hydrocarbon. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 370,936, which issued to T. Drake on Oct. 4, 1887, titled Carburetor Apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,276,937, which issued to J. McKenney on Aug. 27, 1918, titled Carburetor is directed to producing gas by enriching the air with hydrocarbons.
Thus, the present device is fundamentally different than those set forth in the above patents. In particular, the present device provides two features that allows it to function, and these constants are neither disclosed nor suggested in the above patents. Due to the size and shape of the perforations, and the number of screens used in the device, the carburetor's throttle must be modified to supply less fuel and air. If too much of the mixture of fuel and air is introduced into the device, the engine will stop. Nonetheless, maintaining this minimal, yet constant, amount of fuel and air mixture supplies the engine with its fuel demand from a full range of speeds, namely idle to full throttle. Thus, the modification is a partial disabling of the carburetor to the extent that the carburetor's throttle is fixed in one position in which a minimal amount of fuel necessary is supplied to maintain the running of the engine. By doing so, the accelerator pump within the carburetor is limited to supply the reduced amount of fuel at a basically constant rate regardless of the engine's rpm. This constant, minimal amount of fuel is then mixed with a minimal amount of air that is also held constant by the fixed position of the carburetor's throttle.
Since the carburetor's throttle has been partially disabled, a second throttle is needed to control the amounts of fuel and air that leave the device and enter into the engine's intake manifold. Thus, the present device differs from the apparatus of the above patents in that the present device requires a second throttle. Also, the first or conventional carburetor throttle remains set in order to effect the proper mixture and initial volume of air and fuel, while the new, second throttle controls the overall volume of mixture into the engine. This two throttle arrangement has been found to produce the most efficient use or consumption of fuel, while obtaining remarkably minimal amounts of unwanted emissions.